Thursday, January 14, 2016

WHO: Current Ebola Outbreak Over In Liberia - West Africa At Zero

#10,887

While warning that additional flare-ups are likely - setbacks we've already seen twice this year in Liberia - the World Health Organization has cautiously announced the end of 42 days in Liberia without a new Ebola case.

This is a milestone used to indicate the end of active chains of Ebola transmission - and with Guinea and Sierra Leone both beyond their 42 day watch periods - all of West Africa is now considered to be at zero transmission.

The caveat being that the Ebola virus undoubtedly still exists in the environment and we've ample evidence that some recovered Ebola patients can still carry, and shed, the Ebola virus for months despite being `cured'.

14 January 2016 | Liberia -
Today, WHO declares the end of the most recent outbreak of
Ebola virus disease in Liberia and says all known chains of transmission
have been stopped in West Africa. But the Organization says the job is
not over, more flare-ups are expected and that strong surveillance and
response systems will be critical in the months to come.

Liberia was first declared free of Ebola transmission in May
2015, but the virus was re-introduced twice since then, with the latest
flare-up in November. Today’s announcement comes 42 days (two 21-day
incubation cycles of the virus) after the last confirmed patient in
Liberia tested negative for the disease 2 times.

All 3 countries at zero

“WHO commends Liberia’s government and people on their
effective response to this recent re-emergence of Ebola,” says Dr Alex
Gasasira, WHO Representative in Liberia. “The rapid cessation of the
flare-up is a concrete demonstration of the government’s strengthened
capacity to manage disease outbreaks. WHO will continue to support
Liberia in its effort to prevent, detect and respond to suspected
cases.”

This date marks the first time since the start of the epidemic
2 years ago that all 3 of the hardest-hit countries—Guinea, Liberia and
Sierra Leone—have reported 0 cases for at least 42 days. Sierra Leone
was declared free of Ebola transmission on 7 November 2015 and Guinea on
29 December.

“Detecting and breaking every chain of transmission has been a
monumental achievement,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General.
“So much was needed and so much was accomplished by national
authorities, heroic health workers, civil society, local and
international organizations and generous partners. But our work is not
done and vigilance is necessary to prevent new outbreaks.”

Vigilence needs to be maintained

WHO cautions that the 3 countries remain at high risk of
additional small outbreaks of Ebola, like the most recent one in
Liberia. To date, 10 such flare-ups have been identified that were not
part of the original outbreak, and are likely the result of the virus
persisting in survivors even after recovery. Evidence shows that the
virus disappears relatively quickly from survivors, but can remain in
the semen of a small number of male survivors for as long as 1 year, and
in rare instances, be transmitted to intimate partners.

“We are now at a critical period in the Ebola epidemic as we
move from managing cases and patients to managing the residual risk of
new infections,” says Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO’s Special Representative for
the Ebola Response. “The risk of re-introduction of infection is
diminishing as the virus gradually clears from the survivor population,
but we still anticipate more flare-ups and must be prepared for them. A
massive effort is underway to ensure robust prevention, surveillance and
response capacity across all three countries by the end of March.”

WHO and partners are working with the Governments of Guinea,
Liberia and Sierra Leone to help ensure that survivors have access to
medical and psychosocial care and screening for persistent virus, as
well as counselling and education to help them reintegrate into family
and community life, reduce stigma and minimize the risk of Ebola virus
transmission.

The Ebola epidemic claimed the lives of more than 11 300
people and infected over 28 500. The disease wrought devastation to
families, communities and the health and economic systems of all 3
countries.